1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to discharge plasmas, particularly those at or about atmospheric pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applying AC voltages to electrodes to ionize gases located between and within the vicinity of the electrodes to generate plasma discharges is well known. One drawback to such conventional electrode-based plasma generators is that the constituents in the plasma (e.g., free radicals) can interact with the electrodes themselves resulting in sputtering or etching of the electrode material, which can contaminate the plasma with impurities. Another disadvantage to such conventional plasma generators is that the plasmas are typically bound spatially by the electrodes.